Borussia Dortmund have been on a spending spree in recent times. Having splashed over 65 million euros last summer, the club has made another massive outlay of roughly 60 million euros in the current one and it might as well cross the €100million mark soon if their exorbitant offer worth €50million for Said El Mala is accepted by FC Koln.
But not long ago, Die Schwarzgelben were known as one of Europe's most elite feeder clubs, producing marquee talents and then selling them off to mightier sides for a lucrative sum. The most recent example of this is the sale of Jamie Gittens to Chelsea in 2025, with Dortmund commanding a hefty €56.2 million fee for the Englishman.
Yet, it doesn't compare to these five biggest sales in Dortmund's history:
5) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - €63.75 million
Borussia Dortmund's most prolific African player of all time is also one of their biggest sales, taking fifth place on the list following a big-money transfer to Premier League side Arsenal in 2018 for a then-club record fee of €63.75 million. Having struck 141 goals from 213 games in all competitions for BVB and lifting three trophies, the figure today seems like a bargain.
4) Christian Pulisic - €64 million
Ranking just above Aubameyang is his former teammate Christian Pulisic, fondly known as 'Captain America'. Breaking into Dortmund's senior team as a prodigious 16-year-old forward in January 2016, Pulisic cemented himself among the best young prospects over the next three and a half years, so much so that Chelsea splashed a huge sum on him in 2019.
3) Jadon Sancho - €85 million
It's astonishing (and honestly, heartbreaking too) to see Jadon Sancho's career at a crossroads right now. Just five years ago, Dortmund reaped huge profits with his sale to Manchester United in a highly-publicized €85million transfer. But a series of injuries hampered his time with the Premier League side and following some unsuccessful loan spells, BVB's prodigal son is eyeing a return to Signal Iduna Park this summer.
2) Jude Bellingham - €103 million
Eye brows were raised when Dortmund opted to spend €30million on a relatively unknown 17-year-old teenager called Jude Bellingham in 2020. But today, it all makes sense. The Englishman caught Europe's attention with his speed and ball-control, attributes that he often combined to score a handful of goals too. Three years later, Real Madrid priced him away for a fee that makes Bellingham their second biggest sale in history.
1) Ousmane Dembele - €105 million
Another hugely successful piece of business done by the Black and Yellow was Ousmane Dembele, signed from Rennes for €15million in 2016 to replace Manchester United-bound Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Frenchman quickly became a fan favorite for his nimble footwork and creative wizardry, bagging 21 assists during 2016-17 season and netting another 10, including one in the DFB-Pokal final which helped BVB win the cup. Convinced of his abilities, Barcelona, whose coffers were filled up after Neymar's extraordinary €222 million sale to PSG in 2017, spent nearly half of that on Dembele, making him their record export.
Add us as a preferred source on Google